Glad to hear from you Art!

Interesting you have some confirmed experience of failure as I have one too!

On my 1974 Ford truck that I purchased new but still have because I am stupid, had an new breaker-less ignition module. It failed by just turning off and on while motivated down the highway.
Probably very hard on the one big muffler.
I had to replace it ,of course, just out of warranty like everything else under the hood.

Luckily a $19 wholesale unit. I knew someone at the time! I was "networking" or trading some skills under the table sort of repairing automotive cable leads to those big around diagnostic machines. Those that mechanics had to learn to keep out of the engine fans and from under tires! Way before OBD's.

Both units had that soft potting but Ford blamed moisture was coming up from inside the strands in the wires!
I later saw connectors filled with a grease like substance. My truck had some with it new and the new one had a package of it, so it got double packed!
I wonder if they still pack the connectors on American cars today?

That $19 module still works or at least it did ten years ago. I need to rebuild the engine but my love has long wavered towards Volvo's!

I kept the old module in order to someday tear it open. I found that other things started coming that way and I experimented on them. They taught me to do better and throw that other one away! At least, I think I did? A young man I used to be!

I have two of those V/C units for backups. One each for my 84 & 86 cars mainly because of the Ford company and loving faith in the number three Motown maker!

Can we are both say that the ICU on these cars are probably potted? I have no idea!

The idea of doing some heat sink paste work is not very feasible without a special urethane or epoxy solvent and the replacement goop! Never mine anything like a part being bad!

The theory or truth about the connectors is interesting.
I just went to great trouble to pull MY LAST ICU with the harness intact up to where it leads into the firewall.
Only because I fear those connectors. It was a big pain but I still run my '86 with a semi-repaired harness.

FEARS WORK ON THE BODY AND THE MIND IN HARSH WAYS!

SO DOES 50% off and getting money back on the Tool Kit Rewards Card at our PnP's in the west!

Their killing me....by twisting me up between all of my anxieties! (:-)<>(:-(

Do yours back East have such a program?

Phil